Gwen

Building a blog that looks like a magazine often ends with a homepage identical to a thousand other sites, or with hours spent fighting code just to move a block. Gwen is a blog and magazine theme designed to avoid that starting point: it comes with several homepage demos and a system to rebuild the home by dragging modules.

Content comes first, and Gwen organizes it for you

Anyone who publishes regularly (tech, news, products) has a problem that isn't obvious at the start: over time, the archive is the most valuable part of the site, and almost nobody reaches it. A blog with a hundred good posts and a homepage that only shows the latest three wastes the rest. Gwen works right there: related posts, a same-category block, loading more posts without reloading the page (Ajax) and six category layouts so the archives don't look like a junk drawer.

How the homepage is built with Gwen

The home is built with the BKNinja Composer, a plugin that belongs to the theme: you choose modules, drag them into sections and combine them. You can start from one of the demos, which import with one click, or start from scratch.

• Homepage demos: several home variants so you can choose the style closest to what you want.
• Header: customizable, with the option to keep it fixed on scroll or turn that off.
• Sticky and custom sidebars: you can create unlimited sidebars and assign a different one to category, tag, author, search or index, on the left or right.
• Color and typography: free color scheme and Google Web Fonts.

What Gwen offers depending on how you publish

If you run a personal blog

You can give each post its own format: standard, gallery or video (YouTube and Vimeo), with a selectable post layout. Per-post options override the global ones, so a special article can look different without touching the rest.

If you write product reviews

It includes a built-in review system: you add a rating to the post with a summary and a list of pros and cons. It is meant to make opinions clear, not to replace a complex comparison sheet.

If you run a magazine with several authors

It is compatible with Co Author Plus so a post can be signed by more than one author. Each category can have its own layout and sidebar, which is useful when sections like tech and news need a different look.

If your audience is international

It includes a .pot file so you can translate it into any language. The design adapts to small screens and lets you hide the sidebar on mobile.

It needs its companion plugin and it is not a store

For the homepage builder to work, you need to activate the plugin that comes with it (the Composer). Without it the home cannot be built with modules. It is also a content theme: it has no e-commerce features of its own, so if you want to sell, you will need to add another solution and check in the demo how it fits the design. Structured data for posts and reviews is built in, but it does not replace an SEO strategy.

Frequently asked questions about Gwen

Can I import a demo with one click?

Yes, demos import with one click and then you adjust them with the theme options.

Can I have a different sidebar in each section?

Yes. With the sidebar generator you assign one to each template (category, tag, author, search, index) and also to each post.

Is it good for video?

It supports video posts with YouTube and Vimeo and gallery format. It is not a video platform theme.

Does it work with forms?

It is compatible with WPForms, although the form comes from that plugin, not the theme.